Seal-padlock



(No Model.)

E. MEISE.

SEAL PADLOGKM No. 558,193. Patented Apr. 14, 1896.

INVENTOR WITNESSES W; wd 5 aww NITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD timer, on PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

-s EAL-PADLOCK.

SPECIFIGATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 558,193, dated April 14, 1896.

Application filed May 23,1894.

.T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it. known that I, EDWARD MEISE, a resi: dent of Pittsburg, in the countyof Allegheny and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented a new and-useful Improvement in Seal-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description thereof,

My invention relates to seal-locks and the seals to be used therewith, and generally to the class of locks referred to in Letters Patent No. 380,4:46, granted to me April 3, 1888, No. 395,792, granted to me January.8,1889, and No. 445,597, granted to me February 3,1891. This class of seal-locks, which have been found to a great extent to fill the requisites for the looking of cars, have a body portion of bow form having two arms, one of which is adapted to pass through the hasp, the ends of the arm being connected by a seal-plate, which serves the purposes of both sealing the lock and holding thisbow in position on the hasp.

The object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the construction of these locks in certain particulars and provide for the quick sealing of the same, and to so construct the lock that in case, from careless work or intentionally, the seal-plate is not sufficiently locked or held it will naturally dropfrom the lock and disclose this fact, the seal either being locked, sothat it cannot escape, or being in suchposition that it will drop from the lock and indicate the fact.

Another object is to provide a simple and quick means of locking and of sustaining the seal carrier or holder.

The several improvements desired to be covered will be hereinafter described and claimed. y

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a View of a door closed by my improved seal-lock. Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section, showing the construction of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.

ing the'method of inserting the seal. Fig.6

Figs. at and 5 are cross-sections on the line 4 5, Fig. 2, illustrate" I Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each View.

The lock is illustrated as closing a door, as

at A, the strap B fitting over the hasp O, which is closed by the seal-lock embodying this invention, which has the body portion of bow form, having the arms I) c, the arm b passing through the hasp C and being adapted to receive one end of the seal in the seat or recess cl, while the other arm, 0, carries the operative mechanism for securing the seal in place. The said arm 0 has the enlarged body portion 6 atzthe base of the arm, with the loop 6, with which a chain is connected so as to secure the look upon the car, and extending from the said enlarged portion eis the central shaft f, around which is mounted the lockingblock g, which is held in place by the annular collar h, fitting around the shaft f and secured thereon by the rivet h, which extends from one end of the outer wall of the washer through the shaft .f, so securing the locking-block around said shaft. I The locking-block has a series of seats there in to receive the end of the seal 7i), three such seats 1; being shown, and the enlarged portion 6 and the collar it have formed on their inner faces, or the faces toward the other arm I), the recesses 1m, which also, in connection with suchlocking-recesses 1 of the locking-block, engage with the one end of the seal in the locking thereof.

It will be noticed that one wall of the recesses Z and mis formed as a tangent,while the other wall forms a shoulder Z and m in line with the recess d in the arm Z).

I It will also be noticed that the recess W. has the depression m in line with the tangential face of such recess and extending down to the base of the washer, so forminga shoulder m extending from the shoulder m forward to the depression m which acts to support the seal after it is turned part way into the seats Z and m. In connection with this the construction of the recesses t is also to'be noted, each recess being of the same shape and having at the inner portion thereof the rectangular seat 1', which receives the seal when locked, and the radial face "R, which presses against the front face of the seal and holds it in the lock-' ing-seats Zm, and the flaring face i which acts as the lock is turned to direct it into the inner locking-seat z" of the locking-recess. As the locking-block 9 can turn in only one direction, it will thus be seen that as the said block is turned and one or the other of its locking-recesses e is brought into position, when the operator places one end of the seal in the locking-seat d of the arm 1'), the seal then rests upon the outer circumferential face of the locking-block g, and as the said block is turned it is directed by the said flaring face i into the looking-recess ii, and is also carried by said locking-block into the locking-seatsl m on the arm 0 of the lock, being pressed against the shoulders Z m thereof by the radial faces 1' of the recesses and its edge entering the rectangular seat 2" thereof. In case, however, the locking-block is not turned sufficiently to lock the seal in place then the seal will, in the shaking of the car, drop past the shoulder m into the depression m of the locking-seat m in the washer h, and so escape from the lock, leaving the same unsealed, the fact therefore being that the lock is either so sealed that its seal cannot escape therefrom,'or, in case of careless work, the seal will drop through such depression m and so disclose the fact that the lock is not properlysecured. This is a great advantage, as it discloses either careless work orintentional tampering with the seal, such as Where employees of the company leave the seal in such position that it would be easy to remove the seal and ob tain access thereto. With this lock the seal is either held so that it cannot be removed or itself drops from the look.

In Figs 4 and 5 I have illustrated the method of mounting the locking-block g so as to provide for its turning in one direction. It will be seen that the inner surface of that block is formed with a continuous line of ratchetteeth n, which extend longitudinally for the entire thickness of the block. A hole is bored through the portion of the shaft f around which the lock in g-block fits, which hole forms the bearings for the pawls engaging with the ratchet-face 01. Two of these pawls 1) are employed, and between the same is the spring 1", which presses out the pawls, causing them to engage with the ratchet-face n. It will be noticed that the tooth p on each pawl is formed at about the thickest point. The pawl therefore engages with the ratchet-face for its entire diameter, and so obtains a very strong hold upon the same and one which is practically impossible to overcome. On account of the numerous ratchet-teeth on the ratchetface it on the locking-block it will be seen that this block can be turned continuouslyin one direction, but cannot be turned backwardly to any extent whatever.

The numerous seats '5 in the edge of the locking-block g give such hold thereto that it can be easily turned by hand under ordinary circumstances, and as the block extends somewhat beyond the shoulder e and collar h for all ordinary purposes the lock can be quickly sealed simply by the turning of the locking-block by hand. It may happen, however, that where the lock is exposed to freezing it would be difficult to turn the same, and I therefore provide the wrench s, which, as shown in Fig. 4, can be inserted in one of the seats i of the locking-block and turn the same. The rectangular end of the wrench s corre sponds in shape to the rectangular base e" of the seat, and so gives strong hold thereto for turning. This wrench 19 also provides a convenient means for the breaking of the seal, as a blow with the wrench upon the seal between its points of support will fracture the same, so opening the look.

It is very desirable, such as in keeping track of the successive cars sealed, that the seals themselves shall be arranged and held in numerical order; but with an ordinary solid seal this cannot well be accomplished, and the numbers may vary. It is also very desirable that the manufacturer of the seals may be able to furnish them in such numerical order; but that requires a very careful wrappin g, and if the package is once broken the seals in that package cannot be well held in that order. I have therefore provided the seals k with central slots 6, and after arranging the numbers of the seals in consecutive order a package maybe formed of the same by passing through such central slots the flexible fastener u, the head a of which presses against the end of the package While the two arms 10 thereof are spread over the same, so forming a convenient package for the seals. As the same are being used by the operator by closing together the flexible arms a he can draw therefrom one seal and then spread the arms to hold the remainder, and so use the seals in the order desired and the consecutive order of the package of the same be preserved.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a seal-lock, a body of how shape having a seat in one arm for the seal, a rotating block mounted in the other arm and having one or more seats therein to receive the seal, and a shoulder in the body of the arm at the side of said block to receive the seal, substantially as set forth.

2. In a seal-1ock, the combination of a body having the seat in one arm extending longitudinally thereof, another arm having a seat therein to support the seal, and a rotating locking-block mounted in said arm and adapted to hold the seal, against said seat, substantially as set forth.

3. In seal-locks, the combination of a body having one arm provided with a longitudinally-extending seat for the seal and having the other arm provided with a seat therefor, and a rotating locking-block mounted in said arm and having the sealing-recess 1' provided with the radial shoulder i substantially as set forth.

4. In seal-looks, the combination of a body having one arm provided with a longitudinally-extending seat for the seal and having the other arm provided with a seat therefor, and a rotating looking-block mounted in said arm and having the sealing-recess 1' provided With the rectangular base 2" and the flaring face 2' substantially as set forth.

5. In seal-locks, the combination of a body having one arm provided with a longitudinally-extending seat for the seal and having the other arm provided with a seat therefor, and a rotating locking-block mounted in said arm and having the sealing-recess z'provided With the rectangular base i, radial face or shoulder 2' and flaring face i substantially as set forth.

6. In seal-locks, the combination of a body having one arm provided with a longitudinally-extending seat for the seal and the other arm provided with a seat for the seal the rotating locking-block mounted on said arm and having a locking-recess therein, said arm also having the seat m having a tangential face, a shoulder at the base thereof, and a shoulder beyond said base extending for part of the length of the tangential face, substantially as set forth.

7 In seal-locks, the combination of a body having one arm provided with a longitudinally-extending seat for the seal and the other arm having mounted thereon the rotating locking-block having a locking-recess therein, said armalso having the seat '11: having a tangential face, a shoulder at the base thereof, and a shoulder beyond said base extending for part of the length of the tangential face, and having also the seat Z having a tangential face and a shoulder above the same, substantially as set forth.

8. In seal-locks, the combination of a body having one arm provided With a longitudinally-extending seal-seat and the other arm having the enlarged portion 6 and the shaft f extending down therefrom, one or more spring-pawls mounted in said shaft, and a rotating locking-block mounted on said shaft and having a ratchet inner face, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said EDWARD MEIsE, have hereunto set my hand.

EDWARD MEISE. Witnesses:

RoB'r. D. TOTTEN, ROBERT C. TOTTEN. 

